Ty Segall, “Manipulator”

Like Conan O’Brien’s hair, Ty Segall is on fire. The solo artist, leader (and drummer) of Fuzz, and collaborator du jour of White Fence and Mikal Cronin has cranked out just about as many full-lengths as he blew out candles this past June (twenty-seven if you were wondering). But, hard as it may be to single out one as his best, Manipulator likely is. (Segall has essentially admitted as such in at least one recent interview.) The surfer/skater—read: not a slacker—devoted a solid month to recording this rock gem, which is an eternity for the San Fran ex-pat and Los Angeles transplant. And while a seventeen-song album might cause critics quick on the trigger to decry a lack of editing, there’s no fat to be trimmed here. Thanks to some coin courtesy of Drag City, the production is cleaner, the guitars fuller, and there’s even the occasional swatch of strings or organ to provide the tracks with extra body. And lots of guitar solos. Credit the garage-glam-punk majordomo with playing virtually every note on his seventh record—and, if not with other efforts before it as well, crafting essential listening for devoted fans of garage rock.